Only seven contestants remain in the Strictly Come Dancing competition, after a tense Blackpool week that saw Wynne Evans and his partner Katya Jones eliminated.
The remaining couples have returned to the Elstree Studios ballroom this week, where standards are steadily rising, and the competition is heating up.
Last week, Sarah Hadland, Tasha Ghouri and Chris McCausland took the top three spots on the leaderboard, with scores of 39, 39 and 37, respectively.
This week, Ghouri and Aljaž Škorjanec are dancing an American Smooth to “Someone You Loved” by Lewis Capaldi, while Montell Douglas and her pro partner Johannes Radebe are performing a Quickstep to Ella Fitzgerald’s “Get Happy”.
In the Tango corner is Pete Wicks and Jowita Przystał, dancing to “Easy Lover” by Philip Bailey and Phil Collins, and JB Gill and Lauren Oakley – who has stepped in as Amy Dowden’s replacement – are doing a Charleston to “Yes Sir! That’s My Baby” by Firehouse Five Plus Two.
Follow along with our live coverage of tonight’s show.
How does the Samba-thon work?
Tonight’s episode will include an extra special element, not seen on Strictly since 2018.
It seems quite simple and yet, can so easily descend into chaos. Dance-a-thons are a regular element in real world dancing competitions and championships, and involve all pairs dancing (in this case, doing a Samba) at the same time. The judges will then eliminate the couples one by one until only the winners remain. Basically, it’s exactly the same as the dance contest in Grease.
And it’s not just for fun. The couple’s standings will be converted into points and added to their scores, so the Samba-thon has the potential to change the leaderboard.
Rachel McGrath23 November 2024 18:46
Viewers conflicted over last week’s scoring
Viewers were left conflicted over the judges’ scoring during last week’s show.
Judge Craig Revel-Horwood awarded TOWIE star Pete Wicks a brutal score of four, which enraged some viewers. Others, however, thought it was fair.
Ellie Muir23 November 2024 17:30
Recap: Everything that happened last week
Last week was Blackpool week, which saw the departure of opera singer Wynne Evans and his partner Katya Jones.
Meanwhile, Tasha Ghouri and Aljaž Škorjanec held their position at the top of the leaderboard for the third week running with their Paso Doble. They were joined at the top of the leaderboard by Hadland and Vito Coppola who also scored 39 points for their performance.
Closely behind them was comedian Chris McCausland who scored his highest score of the series for his American Smooth to “Jump” by Paul Anka, which left his professional partner Dianne Buswell in tears of joy.
At the other end of the scale was Pete Wicks who scored 27 points for his Cha Cha to “I’m Too Sexy” by Right Said Fred.
The reality star was praised for his upper body isolation. However, his “entertaining” hip action left judges in fits of laughter.
Will Ghouri, Hadland and McCausland be able to hold their positions in the top three this week?
Ellie Muir23 November 2024 16:30
This week’s songs and dances revealed
Here are all of the songs and dances for week 10 of the competition:
Montell Douglas and Johannes Radebe will dance a Quickstep to “Get Happy” by Ella Fitzgerald.
Sarah Hadland and Vito Coppola will dance a Rumba to “Chains” by Tina Arena.
Tasha Ghouri and Aljaž Škorjanec will dance an American Smooth to “Someone You Loved” by Lewis Capaldi.
Chris McCausland and Dianne Buswell will dance a Paso Doble to “El Gato Montes” by Manuel Panella.
Jamie Borthwick and Michelle Tsiakkas will dance a Foxtrot to “Stand By Me” by Ben E. King.
JB Gill and Lauren Oakley will dance a Charleston to “Yes Sir! That’s My Baby” by Firehouse Five Plus Two.
Pete Wicks and Jowita Przystał will dance a Tango to “Easy Lover” by Philip Bailey and Phil Collins.
Ellie Muir23 November 2024 15:27
